


Brohemian Rhapsody Remix: The Return of the Manhunt

by EdgarIsRotating, fentykilluwat, Lushi



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: F/F, M/M, Sarahverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:42:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25370062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdgarIsRotating/pseuds/EdgarIsRotating, https://archiveofourown.org/users/fentykilluwat/pseuds/fentykilluwat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lushi/pseuds/Lushi
Summary: The details of what happened on the night of the second Manhunt in Brohemian Rhapsody by Corns.or;The story of Ikalgo’s betrayal, Killua & Meruem’s long night and Gon’s affiliation with Tarzan.
Relationships: Ikalgo/Gon Freecs, Ikalgon, Komugi/Alluka Zoldyck, Meruem/Killua Zoldyck, killumeru
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	Brohemian Rhapsody Remix: The Return of the Manhunt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WordsByMarcy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsByMarcy/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Brohemian Rhapsody](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23844376) by [korns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/korns/pseuds/korns). 



> From the Family Chat to The Server, we bring you: PART FIVE! A collaboration effort between EdgarIsRotating, fentykilluwat, and Lushi!  
>  Dedicated to WordsbyMarcy. Congratulations on finishing your exams, Sugarplum! <3 This one's for you!
> 
> Part 1: [VR Glasses and Snowy Days by EdgarIsRotating](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25155919)
> 
> Part 2: [VR Glasses, Passing Days & More by fentykilluwat ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25187221)
> 
> Part 3: [VR Glasses, Summer Days, & A Lot More by Lushi ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25194331)
> 
> Part 4: [Books & Burgers by tittymuch](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25350283)
> 
> * * *
> 
> **CHAT COLORS**  
>  **KILLUA:**  
>  killua   
>    
>  **ALLUKA:**  
>  alluka   
>    
>  **IKALGO:**  
>  ikalgo   
>    
>  **MERUEM:**  
>  meruem   
>    
>  **KOMUGI:**  
>  komugi   
>    
>  **CANARY:**  
>  canary   
>    
> 

**Sunday,** 2:50 PM  
**MERUEM:**  
Hey I know this is super last minute but was wondering if you guys wanted to team up for the man hunt in 10?   
  
**IKALGO:**  
Oh I’m for sure down   
  
**KILLUA:**  
Sure, who’s in your team?   
  
**MERUEM:**  
Nice, also it’s Komugi, Pitou, Pouf, Youpi and myself   
  
**IKALGO:**  
Ah yes the three stooges and the small princess   
  
**MERUEM:**  
lol   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
Omg yay! Havent seen Komugi in ages   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
We should have matching weapons!!   
  
**MERUEM:**  
That’s cool we havent left the house yet so what do you guys have picked out?   
  
**IKALGO:**  
They got machetes and Killua gave me a nerf gun bc im not a Zoldyck 😔   
  
**KILLUA:**  
Dude I literally offered you one   
  
**IKALGO:**  
I don’t want Milluki’s machetes idk where they’ve been   
  
**MERUEM:**  
Komugi says machetes are best she actually has her own   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
SICK   
  
**MERUEM:**  
I dont have one but I have a knife if that’s ok?   
  
**KILLUA:**  
Knives work! I have one extra machete if anything too.   
  
**IKALGO:**  
No one gonna talk about Komugi already owning her own machete?   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
I did and I said it was SICK 😀   
  
**MERUEM:**  
Very sick, we’ll meet you guys by the big tire swing close to 4th St   
  
**KILLUA:**  
Sounds good.   
  
**MERUEM:**  
😍   
  
**MERUEM:**  
Sorry Pouf is trying to be funny   
  
**IKALGO:**  
Pouf is very funny actually   
  
**KILLUA:**  
Never took my password advice I see   
  
**MERUEM:**  
Working on it   
  


They all circled around the tire swing, weapons in tow while Meruem —who easily took leadership, explained his game plan. 

“So I was thinking we could split into groups?” He asked the team, a quick glance to everyone around the tire. Most nodded and he continued, “Pitou, Pouf & Youpi could be one group, Alluka & Komugi another, and Ikalgo, Killua and I can be the last one.”

When Meruem’s eyes were elsewhere, Ikalgo moved his eyebrows suggestively at his shorter friend, earning him a kick to the knee. 

Meruem continued his talking as he explained how his three friends would separate from their main two groups, since they were the most interested in attacking, while the girls would stay close to Killua, Ikalgo and himself and they could take out anyone in their way as they strolled. “We can meet back here when enough people have been eliminated. After that, depending on who’s left we can break up and it’ll be everyone for themself,” he finalized. In came Gon's ‘BEGIN’ text and it was settled. 

  
  
  


Five hours into their wandering and only two people had been taken out at the hands of their team, both by Ikalgo. He was bored and had had quite enough. From not being able to exactly match their pace, always being or a step too far in front or behind Killua and Meruem’s synced up walking, to not being able to get a word into their teasing conversation, Ikalgo felt like the third wheel on a segway and he didn’t know what to do about it. 

“I’m not even that much smaller than you! Are you kidding?” Killua spoke to the obviously taller Meruem in his flirting-without-trying voice that Ikalgo had become way too familiar with. 

“Hm,” Was all Meurem answered, looking away with a smirk. 

“Let me see your hand again,” the younger boy grabbed Meruem’s hand to compare sizes for the second time in the last ten minutes. 

Seeking refuge in women, Ikalgo looked around to see if Alluka and Komugi could offer more interesting company. He stopped still in the wooded park after doing his second 360 to find both girls had vanished. 

He should’ve known Alluka wouldn’t take another minute of ease-dropping when it came to her older brother unknowingly flirting. Something about how close she was to Komugi as they shared earphones and music recommendations along their walk made Ikalgo believe the girl might’ve had other plans for them anyway. 

He looked back to where Killua and Meurem kept walking without a care in the world. The machete & knife dangled in their hands, and Ikalgo guessed he would not be missed if he too disappeared from their team. 

And so he moved aimlessly through the streets close to the park they were mostly gathered in, sure to stay within the designated area Gon had assigned via text. Gon. Ikalgo should go after for Gon, in the manhunt that is. It wasn’t like anyone on their team was actively looking for him, specifically; at least not at the moment. Yeah, Ikalgo would start looking for Gon. For the team’s interest, not his own. 

Suddenly his pace picked up because he had a new goal now. So Gon, he wondered where a tall, taut, guy like him was at a time like this and that was when he turned to thank the little white ghost on the yellow app because he remembered he had the guy on snapchat. 

“Gottchu!” Ikalgo said to no one as he saw the tiny animated version of Gon’s smile on his phone screen, making his exact location public to the world. 

However, Snapchat did him no such justice. It took him another four long hours to locate Gon and his own small team by foot, in the dead center of the large park. It was ridiculously dark out now and Ikalgo could barely see the foliage around him. Halfway through his search Gon had turned his location off and his animated self disappeared from Ikalgo’s phone. 

Tall trees, unkempt bushes and an unreasonable amount of mud surrounded him now and after a few seconds of blatant staring, he woke up and realized he was very much exposed. He bent down behind a bush just as he heard plastic cutting air a few feet in front of him. 

The lone soldier watched in awe as Pitou launched his own toy machete at Gon and his crew. Zushi was taken out first, then Kurapika but Gon dodged Pitou’s attacks and instead sprayed his water gun in his general direction. Having lost his machete, Pitou retreated into the forest and left Gon with his eliminated friends. 

Ikalgo watched as Gon bid farewell to his team, and began to type out their eliminations on his phone. Would he find a better time to shoot his shot? In the game, he meant in the game of course. He inched a few feet closer and shot his first bullet, missing Gon’s shoulder by a hair, or five. Pretty good for a guy with no talent. Gon’s head immediately shot up in the direction the nerf bullet came from. He paused his texting looking for who was responsible. His head moved almost frantically but mostly excitedly trying to find his assailant. 

Minutes past with no second shot and Gon kept typing,  _ Zushi has been eliminated via machete _ . Ikalgo shot again this time missing by about 3 inches, it was dark, but Gon had already locked eyes with him. 

Brown met hazel and Ikalgo damn near wet himself. 

He looked up and right into Gon’s eyes in the dark and it felt like he was glancing at the phone time and watching it go from one minute to the next —he shouldn’t have seen that. 

And so he ran. 

More like charged at Gon shooting nerf bullets with his eyes closed praying one would hit. Gon was faster though, he moved away from every single one. 

“What's the matter Ikalgo?” Gon teased, he moved right up to Ikalgo’s ear before jutting out of reach and then did it all over again. 

A shot missed, then another, and yet another until the noise the nerf gun made was indicating there were no more to shoot. 

“Why choose war? When you can choose peace!” Gon reached out to Ikalgo with both arms and pulled him in close. 

He had run out of bullets anyway, but being in Gon’s warm embrace made ikalgo drop his nerf gun making a plop in the muddy ground beneath him. This wasn’t like the time Gon had caught him last time, his body was not being hovered over, but the breath was still knocked out of him. His little heart couldn't take the proximity, all Ikalgo could do was stand still. Gon smelled like the woods but he supposed they all did at the moment. 

After a beat or 300 of his rapid heart, Ikalgo dared look back into those crazed hazel eyes that spoke to him. 

“Wanna team up?”

**Sunday,** 8:47 PM  
**KOMUGI:**  
[Voice message of Alluka asking if Komugi is recording, her saying i think so, then Alluka proceeding to rap Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass offbeat before screaming as they heard a noise of a branch snap in the background.]   
  
**MERUEM:**  
Where are u guys   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
You’ll never find us! hehe   
  
**KOMUGI:**  
🗣️🎙️: We’re on a secret mission to fuck by ourselves, girls only!!   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
FIGHT. SHE SAID FIGHT.   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
Siri is useless.   
  


**Sunday,** 11:42 PM  
**ALLUKA:**  
Crazy how you guys haven’t found us yet! smh and you call this a team   
  
**KOMUGI:**  
[Voice message of her singing loudly and Alluka telling her to hush through giggles, Komugi asking Alluka if she's “worried they’ll catch them in the act?”]   
  
**ALLUKA:**  
Ignore that message lol   
  
**MERUEM:**  
As the designated leader of this gathering, your whereabouts are essential to the success of our faction’s mission   
  
**KOMUGI:**  
🗣️🎙️: Okay.   
  
**MERUEM:**  
I’m Serious   
  
**KILLUA:**  
Alluka come back to the tire swing area or so help me.   
  
**KOMUGI:**  
[Voice message of her saying “That's not the tone of a good team member!” with Alluka still shushing her in the background]   
  


Meruem had never much liked the Fourth of July. The air was always thick and smokey from barbecues, and drunk men were a nuisance. Fireworks were bright and annoying and too loud for him to appreciate. His opinion.. might be changing though. Because whenever Killua (and yes, he’d done it multiple times), had pressed his hand up against Meruem’s, he’d felt just like those fireworks, bright and bursting with colour and warmth, his entire body malfunctioning, feeling nothing but warm hands and slight calluses. And sure, maybe he’d hid it with a smirk and a laugh, maybe he’d made a dismissing comment about how tiny Killua’s hands were, but despite the calm demeanor, every single time Killua did it, Meruem couldn’t breath for minutes after. It was torture. 

In the lull of them just walking Killua spit out not meeting his eyes, “if there's one thing you definitely got me beat in is maybe like holding your liquor.” 

At that, Meruem’s mind went back to Canary’s party and a slightly drunk Killua singing just about every song that came on her shuffle into his makeshift phone microphone. And the warmth Meruem felt every time Killua would hand him the ‘mic’ to sing into his phone. He looked away from Killua too and said, “ oh yeah, you’re quite the singer by the way.”

“Whatever man,” Killua shoved at his shoulder. 

Teasing the younger boy was fun because just like Meruem himself he swore it didn’t affect him but the red behind the boy’s ears couldn’t always be an allusion, right? “What was that one song you wouldn’t stop singing all night? Remind me?” 

Killua held back a smile and covered his laugh with his hand. Why did Meurem remember that? “I literally have no idea what you’re talking about?”

“I think you do.”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t.” Mereum nodded, “You don’t want to sing it as loud as you did that night.”

“Shut up!” Killua shoved again at his shoulders but this time Meruem didn’t budge. 

And when Killua pouted, bottom lip jutting out slightly, puppy dog eyes in full and exclaimed, “your shoulders are so much broader than mine, it’s unfair, asshole.” Meruem decided he couldn’t take this torturous suffering any longer and spun on his heels to face the group behind them. Perhaps they could play a group ga- Oh, word? 

“Killua, uh? Hey, what happened to Ikalgo? And Komugi? Alluka?” Killua was quick to spin around too, eyes scanning the treeline, and Meruem definitely hallucinated the blush he thought he saw spread across Killua’s cheeks upon finding they were alone. 

“Oh, those bastards! They fucking left us.” Killua whipped out his phone, quickly typing a “I thought I was more to you….” text to Ikalgo, following it up quickly by another, “friendship ended with Ikalgo. Now I’m best friends with Meruem.” Meruem watched Killua type, the light of his phone screen illuminating his features. Fireworks. Perhaps he’d go to see them next Fourth of July. 

They decided to look for Komugi and Alluka, Meruem worried about Komugi getting singled out by other teams and Killua worried about how many people Alluka would injure unmonitored. 

It didn’t help that every time they texted the group chat about the girl’s whereabouts they were met with unhelpful jokes and loud voice messages, but they made Killua laugh, Meruem might fully become pro Fourth of July. 

They walked for what felt like hours, and Meruem reached over to pluck way too many twigs out of the shorter boy’s hair, and he was definitely sure he had a ball of mud and foliage up his own boxers somewhere, but he was too dignified to go rummaging around for it in front of Killua. 

Night fell and Killua asked for the third time that night, “God where are they?” 

“No idea ma- Careful!” Meruem reached out in front of him just in time to clutch Killua close before head full of white hair fell face first into the mud. 

A shiny metal handle peeked from under Killuas feet. Meruem raised it up and recognized it at Komugi’s machete. 

“They’re close,” Killua breathed into Mereuem’s face, and him speaking up seemed to snap them both back into reality. They let go of each other and Killua brushed some mud off his knees. 

Eventually, Killua spotted a mop of white hair, cheering in relief that they’d finally located the two. It seemed they weren’t alone though, Ikalgo leaping out from twenty feet up in the tree above Alluka, his shirt stripped in favor of a thin tank, and swinging from what appeared to be a Tarzan rope made out of clothes, shooting as he arched over their bodies, his bullets striking Komugi straight in the face, directly before the rope promptly snapped, one of the articles of clothing reaching its breaking point. 

* * *

He heard it before he saw it, a whirr of air, rustling bushes, and a sharp hiss to his right. From the corner of his eye he could see Komugi grimace and press her hand to the spot between her eyebrows, Meruem jolt from his position to her; and before he knew it, before he realized what he’s doing, his sneakers were pounding through gnarled roots and bowed grass. His fist collided with the familiar body hiding in the shrubbery, right under his jaw.

He felt the skin slap against his knuckles, a satisfying snap as Ikalgo clenched his teeth, and let the force of the impact tilt his head up. Killua took a step back.

“Ow! Dude!” Ikalgo groaned, dropping out from behind prickled leaves, still clutching onto the frayed rope swing. He nursed the underside of his jaw with a cupped hand. “You didn’t have to punch me, shit!” and “It fucking hurts!”

Killua rolled his eyes, he didn’t even punch him  _ that _ hard. 

“You shot a blind girl between the eyes with a nerf dart,” He pointed out, “Why  _ wouldn’t _ anyone deck you in the face for that?”

“I wasn’t aiming there! I wanted to hit her shoulder instead,” 

He grabbed Ikalgo by the collar of his tank top and forced him to stand up straighter, on his toes, and  _ look _ Killua in the eyes.

There’s a succession of buzzing in his pockets, which implied Gon was nearby. That Gon was watching. “Why were you shooting at us?” He backed up towards their group, where Pitou, Youpi, and Pouf were sat and fretting over Komugi while she insisted she was fine. Alluka and Meloreon were stationed at the side of the two oaks. Ikalgo didn’t answer, so he asked again, fisting the collar of his shirt higher and forcing a whimper out of the much shorter man.  _ “Why _ were you shooting at us,  _ Ikalgo?” _ His name was hissed out, barely audible under his seethe. 

“I teamed up with Gon!” He said in babbles, words flooded his airways, “You guys kept running off and doing your own things and leaving me behind so I figured I’d take Gon out early on and—” He took another deep breath, “And when I found Gon I just started shooting! He was on his phone and it seemed like the perfect opportunity, you know? So I started shooting and he kept dodging out of the way and I couldn’t hit him! I couldn’t hit him and he smiled at me and I felt like I was drying up in the desert and then suddenly there was this oasis spring asking me to team up. I couldn’t say no! Don’t tell me you’d do differently in my shoes.” 

Killua narrowed his eyes and dropped Ikalgo, pushing him back so he stumbled and fell flat on his ass. He won’t dignify that with a response. 

He fisted a hand into his pocket and checked his phone, and chose to ignore how Ikalgo, in his dirty and prideless glory, scrambled back into the foliage to escape any wrath that might come his way.

“There’s 11 people left, and 7 of them are in our group.” He turned to Meruem, “What do you wanna do? Disband?” 

Eyes landed on Meruem as he shrugged and stood, hands dusting off his pants and brandishing the kitchen knife he’d dubbed as a machete. Killua did not want to be on the receiving end of that. 

“Pitou, Pouf, Youpi,” He called, “Come here,” and like obedient followers, they did, shuffling forward and dropped to their knees expectantly. He cleared his throat, and narrowed his eyes, chancing a glance at Killua, who just stood there, hand on his hip, watching. Watching as Meruem gently, almost tenderly, pat the dull end of the kitchen blade on each of their shoulders as they kneel before him, as knights before their king. 

There’s a succession of 5 buzzes in his pockets. Two more than what he just witnessed. 

He knew that Gon was nearby. He knew that based on that alone, Alluka and Meleoron are out too. 

And maybe because he knew that Gon was nearby, watching, he took the last few remaining steps forward. Toward Meruem. Meruem who was walking toward  _ him. _ Meruem who cupped his chin and  _ kissed _ him just a few days prior. 

Killua pulled out his plastic machete. 

“You know this entire Manhunt?” He asked, and Meruem nods once. “This was supposed to be a date,” His voice dropped softly, gently, “For me and Gon,” he said. Meruem stills, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“And he… Invited approximately 39 people to your date?” 

He couldn’t help it, he really couldn’t. He couldn’t stop the grin spreading out into a smile on his cheeks, feel the exhilaration of Meruem’s confusion, and understand that he was not the only one having to do the mental gymnastics and backflips in logic just to understand the way Gon thinks. 

So he did what he should have done days ago, when he was alone in Meruem’s house, when he felt the headset slide off from his face and felt the gentle caress of fingers slide from his cheekbones to his chin, tilting his head up. 

But most of all, he does it because Gon was there. Gon could see them.  _ Gon was watching. _

Killua stood up on his toes and fisted his hands into Meruem’s jacket, and tugged the taller man down so they’re nose to nose, “It’s not really a date if there’s almost 40 people invited to it, now is it?” He said, and kissed him. 

He kissed him and felt fireworks go off behind his eyelids. It’s rough, both their lips are chapped, and their skin is sweltering in the hot,  _ hot _ heat of midday— but it’s new and exciting and no longer will he have to sit on the corner of his bed, ruminating thought after thought of things he could have done different and what would it have been like had he let Meruem kiss him that night. 

He kissed him. He kissed him  _ hard _ and then let go, laying his palm flat on his chest and pushed him two steps backwards. Meruem is dazed, eyes glossed over, and he took the opportunity to take his cheap Halloween toy and pressed the edge of the machete to his neck.

“You’re out,” He said, and there’s a buzz in his pocket. 

* * *

**Monday,** 10:52 AM  
**CANARY:**  
Hey Killua, what time is the Manhunt next week?   
  
**KILLUA:**  
............................   
  
**KILLUA:**  
Canary.................   
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hey Sarah I reverse engineered your text CSS. Be afraid.
> 
> EdgarIsRotating — Will
> 
> FentyKiluwat — Lyn
> 
> Lushi — Kevin / [kazama (main account)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazama)


End file.
